Eagle Empire (Great Read)

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Berkeley_Eagle

Current Status: 24/7 Manly Fan
Posted on February 27, 2014

http://jmmillward.wordpress.com

While it was the Sydney Roosters who took the spoils by claiming the 2013 NRL title in Trent Robinson’s first season at the club, it is worth reflecting on the achievement of runners-up Manly who reached a remarkable fourth grand final in seven years.

With the Sea Eagles achieving this feat in the era of the salary cap, losing stacks of representative players along the way (as well as a pretty handy coach), could it be suggested that their achievement is on par with that of Parramatta and the Bulldogs who ruled the 1980s with four premierships each?

Unlike the 80’s when ten premierships were shared between only four clubs, the modern day salary cap has ensured that no team has won back-to-back titles for 20 years. During that time dynasties have been replaced by periods of dominance lasting generally no longer than a couple of years.

The Roosters made three consecutive grand finals between 2002-04 but the following year could not even make the top eight. Towards the end of the decade the Dragons won consecutive minor premierships, converting the second of those into the big prize but faded soon after.

However Manly haven’t missed out on the finals for nine years and since 2006 they’ve finished in the top five every year bar 2010.

Their dominance during that period is unrivalled.

Discounting the Melbourne Storm who benefitted from salary cap breaches up to 2010 (and have arguably continued to benefit), Manly’s win percentage of 65% (regular season only) is well clear of their next closest rival Brisbane at 54%.

The gap between first and second is by far the greatest with the majority of positions separated by less than 1%.




Another indicator of Manly’s dominance over the past eight seasons is their points differential of +1,220 which is more than two-and-a-half times greater than St-George Illawarra who sit second in that particular area, and more than four times ahead of the Broncos in third.




Moreover Manly have been able to maintain this dominance despite having to shed a mass of quality players.

Since the end of 2006 the Eagles have waved goodbye to an incredible 17 representative players, including Dally M Medallist Matt Orford, club legend Steve Menzies, exciting youngster Will Hopoate and 2013 grand final winner Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.

They also had to deal with the acrimonious departure of star coach Des Hasler to the Bulldogs, while at the very top the boardroom has been openly at war throughout virtually this entire period.

2013 was somewhat symbolic of Manly’s run over the past eight years, defying the odds to overcome boundless challenges.

There was the continued quarrelling at board level with one director granted an AVO against another on the eve of the finals.

There were the regular injuries to key players which saw them lose their most potent weapon for a third of the season and arrive at the big dance without three first-choice prop forwards.

There were the bruising encounters in the first three weeks of the finals which were meant to knock the stuffing out of them, especially with star players Jamie Lyon and Anthony Watmough operating below 100%.

And yet this indomitable club fought its way to within agonisingly close reach of another premiership.

While Manly may not have been crowned champions of 2013, they further cemented a modern-day dynasty that you could argue is every bit as impressive and dominant as those of the Bulldogs and the Eels in the 80’s.


 
Manly were in 3 GFs even in the 80's!

Otherwise a great summation of our domination :)

Sea Eagles soar above the great unwashed :angel:
 
And will never be rightfully acknowledged as we don't fit into the NRL and Ch Nein's populist drive to appeal to the sweaty drongo masses.
 
I particular like leaving Melbourne out of the records because of their cheating.
A great read. Little wonder we fans conduct ourselves with a degree of confidence.
 
The Who said:
I particular like leaving Melbourne out of the records because of their cheating.
A great read. Little wonder we fans conduct ourselves with a degree of confidence.
Yes that is what clinches it as being written by a Manly fan! Most fans of other clubs also hate the Storm but don't worry so much about the record because they were never going to win anyway.
 
I don't believe enough is made of us making the semis every year since 2005. That is a remarkable achievement, and adding in the 4GF's since 2007 and the 2 Premierships and you have a period in the salary cap era that is simply outstanding.

When you think how easy it is to slip out of the 8 for a year (and then one year becoming 2 or 3) I think the Manly staff need a good slap on the back for a job well done.
 
That is a great analysis. Our stats are bradmanesque, given the gulf between manly and the second ranked team. The nrl, tele and herald journos really don't seem to have any idea of the significance of that sustained excellence.
 
With the exception of the 60s (in which they only made one Grand Final) Manly have been in at least 2 Grand Finals in every decade since the 50s.
 
I often wonder what it would be like to have to barrack for a mediocre team had fate not dealt me such a wonderful hand.
 
Chip and Chase said:
I often wonder what it would be like to have to barrack for a mediocre team had fate not dealt me such a wonderful hand.

Yeah thank my parents every day for moving us to the Warringah shire in 1973 otherwise I probably would have been a knights supporter YUCK.
Currently we are on 9 finals series in a row. Our record is 11 in a row 1968 - 1978
 
Melbourne should be included as i see all NRL clubs in the same light---both clubs should be equally proud.

An 11% jump between Manly and Brisbane and i'm guessing close to 17% between Melb and Brisbane over an 8 year period should raise a few eyebrows when all clubs are supposedly on the same salary cap.

What it also shows is how pathetic Brisbane are performing with all the funds they have and the potentially lucrative 3rd party arrangements players can have in Brisbane.(Coaches and recruitment should be sacked by now)
 
SeaEagleRock8 said:
Are you inferring Manly are as guilty of salary cap cheating as Storm ?

"I see all clubs in the same light" playing under the same rules.

The only good thing about a salary cap is it makes it easier for clubs to say goodbye to players offering a valid reason when it suits the club. "We would love to keep you but the salary cap is tight at the moment and i'm sorry to say we can't match that offer under the current cap"

The salary cap does help restrain spending especially on those 50/50 players you want to keep. In the old days some clubs kept a few players on too long for depth, fear of change, fear of having to develop an unproven replacement and out of loyalty to the player--the salary cap tends to spread these players around more which does help even up the competition.

The players you want to keep you will keep the players you are 50/50 or don't really want to keep it just makes the process more smooth to move them on.

I would say in many instances when clubs are just on the rise or planning a rise but still need to pay overs to attract quality these clubs are at high risk of exceeding the cap.

Funny thing is since Melb was found guilty the development of the big 3 and Bellamy as a coach has been a joy to watch. Melb's performances since this period have been amazing and i admire them just as much as Manly in many respects.
 
fair enough, but I don't. Everything bad, illegal (eg: tackling style), play delays, dangerous leg first catching style, hand outs from fox, oh the list goes on and on makes me true to my stand that most things that are wrong with the (teams of the) nrl stem from the storm.

I do not admire them 1 iota.

But you do, so good luck with that.
 
Technical Coach said:
"I see all clubs in the same light" playing under the same rules.
You did hear about the two sets of books didn't you? Storm did not play under the same rules, they treated the rest of the NRL with contempt for 5 years.

Technical Coach said:
The only good thing about a salary cap is it makes it easier for clubs to say goodbye to players offering a valid reason when it suits the club...

…The players you want to keep you will keep the players you are 50/50 or don't really want to keep it just makes the process more smooth to move them on.
Sounds like you are saying rorting the salary cap doesn't make much difference to your roster. I doubt many would agree with you - and I certainly don't!

Technical Coach said:
Funny thing is since Melb was found guilty the development of the big 3 and Bellamy as a coach has been a joy to watch. Melb's performances since this period have been amazing and i admire them just as much as Manly in many respects.
Sure they often play very well, but I don't see so much to admire. "Since Melb was found guilty"… well, that was in 2010, you really think Bellamy and the big 3 have developed a lot since then? They had already won minor premierships in 2006 (later stripped for cheating), 2007 (later stripped for cheating), and 2008 (later stripped for cheating), and premierships in 2007 (later stripped for cheating) and 2009 (later stripped for cheating). By the time they were busted they were already among the most decorated players in the game's history.

And how much easier is it for a player to develop in a super-strong outfit than in an ordinary (legal) team? Well, we may never know, but I'd say it is an obvious advantage.
 
SeaEagleRock8 said:
Technical Coach said:
"I see all clubs in the same light" playing under the same rules.
You did hear about the two sets of books didn't you? Storm did not play under the same rules, they treated the rest of the NRL with contempt for 5 years.

Technical Coach said:
The only good thing about a salary cap is it makes it easier for clubs to say goodbye to players offering a valid reason when it suits the club...

…The players you want to keep you will keep the players you are 50/50 or don't really want to keep it just makes the process more smooth to move them on.
Sounds like you are saying rorting the salary cap doesn't make much difference to your roster. I doubt many would agree with you - and I certainly don't!

Technical Coach said:
Funny thing is since Melb was found guilty the development of the big 3 and Bellamy as a coach has been a joy to watch. Melb's performances since this period have been amazing and i admire them just as much as Manly in many respects.
Sure they often play very well, but I don't see so much to admire. "Since Melb was found guilty"… well, that was in 2010, you really think Bellamy and the big 3 have developed a lot since then? They had already won minor premierships in 2006 (later stripped for cheating), 2007 (later stripped for cheating), and 2009 (later stripped for cheating), and premierships in 2007 (later stripped for cheating) and 2009 (later stripped for cheating). By the time they were busted they were already among the most decorated players in the game's history.

And how much easier is it for a player to develop in a super-strong outfit than in an ordinary (legal) team? Well, we may never know, but I'd say it is an obvious advantage.

1) What has the two books issue got to do with what i am trying to say. It appears the NRL thought this problem might be/potentially widespread enough to go through all the NRL clubs.

2)"Sounds like you are saying rorting the salary cap doesn't make much difference to your roster." I'm not saying that at all read again.

3) The point i am making is yes they were the most decorated players and coach in the game before being busted yet they were still able to go another level after this period with a weakened squad, less depth and still won another premiership plus finishing in the top 4.

I agree these players would not have developed or stayed together without cheating the cap and that is the benefit they still receive not denying that.

Melb was always going to cheat the cap for starters due to location and player pool and when they hit on quality were going to pay overs to keep these players it was a recipe waiting to happen.

4) "And how much easier is it for a player to develop in a super-strong outfit than in an ordinary (legal) team? Well, we may never know, but I'd say it is an obvious advantage."
I agree but now you could be inferring something also see how easy it is to point the finger.
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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